Two religious occasions coincide, Odisha tightens security

With the Durga idol immersions and the Tazia processions of Muharram coinciding, more than 7,000 armed forces have been deployed across the state to ensure there is no trouble, Odisha DGP R P Sharma said at a press conference here today.
"As many as 244 platoons (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) of force have been deployed ensure security across Odisha," said Sharma.
The DGP said that 98 platoons of force have been deployed in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
He also said the police has intensified crackdown against anti-socials across the state.
The DGP said that 20 illegal arms, 683 live ammunitions, 11 live bombs and 1,000 detonators have been seized during a special drive.

"The crackdown against habitual offenders is still on," he added.
Since the immersion schedule of Durga idols this year coincides with the Tazia processions of Muharram, the SPs of respective districts and DCPs have been asked to fix different schedules for both the religious occasions, R P Sharma said.